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From: andysc@houxv.UUCP (A.SCHLAFLY)
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Strange 'bc' behavior
Message-ID: <449@houxv.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-May-86 11:55:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: houxv.449
Posted: Fri May  2 11:55:04 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 3-May-86 19:32:26 EDT
Organization: AT&T Information Systems, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 24


'bc' seems to have trouble retaining accuracy with base 16.  Try
the following example, done on a VAX 11/780 under UNIX V rel 2v2 (but
similar behavior found on other machines):

$ bc
ibase=16
obase=10
scale=30
x=0.3333
x
".332"
x*2
".665"
x*2.0000
".66594A"
x=.33330000
x
".3332FF"

Can anybody offer an explanation?  Thanks in advance.

                                          Andy Schlafly
                                          ...ihnp4!houxv!andysc